The Lost Cavern
by Golbezandcrew
Summary: Rated for later chapters - Shadow goes into the depths of a cursed cavern despite his friends warnings. Will the Sonic crew save him in time?
1. Enter the depths

**I own nothing but the Lost Cavern unless it's already in a Sonic game that I don't know about...**

Is it possible to be so confused about yourself?

That you don't know who you are?

_"Even your memories might not be real..."_

So lost in a net of selflessness...

_"I think I know what the ultimate life form is..."_

There's no one there to tell you who or what you are...

_"I think it's you!"_

Lost... In the depths of a cavern, the faint sounds of water running tell you which way to go but...the water has long since stopped for him... Small glowworms light the way along large tunnels, the walls wet... Never been touched by the sun.

'What am I doing here' he asks himself. The answer unknown to himself, something is drawing him this way.

He stops at a fork in the path, light slightly glimmers from the higher path. He takes a step towards the lighter path but...then something beckons him... he must continue going down.

_Come..._

It calls, but can only be heard by him. His friends tried to stop him...

"It's a deathtrap! Don't go there!"

_Come... Free me_

How can it be so? That voice can win him over so easily.

"No! Please don't go!"

A slight echo... Someone else is here. But no one comes here...ever. Even his rival didn't want him to come, but why?

There is nothing here.

_That's right... Good... Come closer..._

Why were these voices calling him? Why not someone else? Then again he was perfect for this. He had never heard of all the horrible things that happened here...

**Mystic Ruins**

A small group of creatures stand at the entrance to 'The Lost Cavern', called that due to its history. Creatures who were never seen again or their remains found in a river, mutilated.

"What do we do?" The first one took a peek down the caverns deep passageways. Her pink fur shimmering in the morning sun. A red hair band held her hair back, softly falling to her shoulders and waving in the summer breeze. Her red dress lined with white, blown around by the caverns windy currents. Reds shoes held her to the soft muddy earth, a white stripe can only just be seen through the thin layer of mud.

"I dunno" The second stated, walking then standing beside the pink hedgehog. His blue fur caught the rays of the sun showing the spikes along the back of his head and back. An orange circle, some kind of birthmark maybe, encrested on his body. Some would know him as a symbol of a hero but others just know him as a great leader in bad situations or just as a friend. Red and white shoes helped him run the speeds he wanted and helped him keep his grip on almost anything.

"Should we follow him?" A young and agile fox flew up beside the two, his orange fur shone brightly. His two tails giving him a special gift... to be able to fly. White covers his stomach and chest in a mass of fur. Red and white halved on his shoes help him keep up with his idle and big brother.

"Of course we should! We can't let him get killed!" A white bat with her ears perked up high to pick up any sounds. Long gloves lined with pink covered her arms and hands. Boots with the same colouring as her gloves, metal built into the bottom of the boots to help her dig for hidden treasures.

"Even though it sounds crazy, I agree with Rouge." A red echidna stood on the lush green grass away from the hole where so many had lost their lives. His red fur hidden among the shadows of the trees. A crescent moon on his chest proving his birthright. But as always, his friends called before duty, Even if he said he didn't want to get involved he always did.

_Come..._

"What?" The echidna looked around questionable.

The white bat known as Rouge looked down at him. "What? Did you hear something?" She said rather sarcastically, if anything happened she'd be the first to hear…If it was in her range.

The echidna stopped his gaze on Rouge. "Yeah. Didn't you?" The bat shook her head.

"I didn't hear anything." She looked again at the cavern. Only a few meters in and it was complete darkness. Why would anyone go down there in the first place?

"Ok it's decided." The blue hedgehog jumped down from the rocks and the entrance to the cavern. "Once we get the right equipment... We're going down there."

"Yeah! We're going to save Shadow." Amy jumped down beside him.

"And solve the mystery of this place!" The young kitsunne added.

**Station Square**

"Are you sure you want to go down there? I mean well… It's really dangerous there..." A small rabbit with her long ears falling down to the bottom of her blue dress. Brown stripes along the top of her eyes, the top of her head and at the bottom of her ears. A small blue Chao wearing a red bow tie following close behind.

"Amy Chao Chao!" The blue Chao pulled on Amy's coat.

"See even Cheese doesn't think you should go." The young rabbit grabbed on her arm pleading. "Please don't go! I don't want you to disappear like daddy..." Tears filled her eyes, a memory long forgotten by anyone not involved.

"But Cream, I have to save my friend. Don't worry we've got awesome stuff to use and were going to use a rope so we don't get lost. Plus one of us is going to stay watch outside." Amy said cheerfully as always, trying to calm her little friend.

"Okay..." Cream sighed, defeated. She let go of her arm and the Chao released her coat.

"Chaaoooo" Cheese added.

Amy opened the door. "I'll see you guys later, ok?" She waved and ran off to join the others who were already waiting for her.

"Do you think they'll be ok?" Cream and Cheese stood in the doorway and watched them run off towards the train station.

"Chaaaaoooo!" Cheese yelled.

**Mystic Ruins Cavern Entrance**

"Sooooo... um who's going in." Amy stood near the entrance with her gear on. A red belt with several pockets, spare rope attached to the side and flashlights in a velcro hold. A large coat covered her body and protected her from any wind.

"You can stay out here if you want." Rouge flew up trying to get a good look into the cavern. Being 12ish she thought it would be easier to see. Her treasure scope could easily be seen on the side of her head. A bunch of handy items were packed into her small belt on her thigh.

"Yeah... we need someone out here anyway." Sonic slipped on his backpack, his only piece of equipment but probably the most useful. But looking at it makes you wonder what exactly is inside.

"Nah, I might stay out here. That way I can keep an eye on the Master Emerald." Knuckles finished securing the rope to a nearby tree. But the real reason was that he wanted to stay away from that voice, something about it sent chills down his spine. Like a call from the dead. 'I wonder if that's the voice Shadow heard' He thought to himself.

"Okay then! We're all set. I've got plenty of rope in case we run out." Sonic indicated to his backpack.

"I've got the flashlights!" Amy finished checking the flashlights. "Oh! And the batteries too!"

"Yeah, yeah. Check, check, check. Can we go now?" Rouge tapped her foot. All this checking and rechecking was boring her.

"But what if Shadow's... You know." Tails stood right beside Sonic with a similar backpack but smaller.

The others looked discouraged but Sonic just gave a smile. "Hey! Think of who you're talking about here, this is Shadow, The Ultimate Life form. He survived the fall from Ark he can survive this too!"

"Yeah!" They chorused and set off into the depths of the cavern.

"Good luck..." Knuckles sat at the entrance, hoping for their safe return.

Everyone who had been around for the past 10 years would know the vicious history of this cursed place…At the dead of midnight, of the timing of a new moon. (When there is no moon in the sky) There is a rumour that you can here moans of agony and despair from the creatures and humans who died there. The echidna sighed, he would find out if those rumours were true or just something to scare children.

**The Lost Cavern**

They stopped in the first large opening. A waterfall played its music among the moss covered rocks; their soft green glow illuminated the room. Four tunnels lead in different directions, some going higher towards the surface, but some going deeper into the darkness.

"So where do you think he went?" Amy looked at the waterfall; a large pool of water just below it made it look stunning.

Rouge flipped her treasure scope down and scanned around the room. "Well he didn't waste anytime here." She pointed down a long pathway that descended deeper then any of the other tunnels. "I dunno why but... he went this way."

"How can you tell?" Amy ran up beside her to catch on what she was talking about.

"Well for one he didn't bother to cover his tracks or maybe..." Rouge didn't finish.

"Do you think he knew we were going to follow him? It might be a trap." Tails brushed a little bit of dirt off a large rock before sitting on it.

"Ooh yeah, maybe he wants to kill us." Sonic remarked sarcastically.

"Okay, Okay! Enough of this can we go?" Amy didn't want to think Shadow had gone back to being evil, there was just no way. Before he left he was saying about some voices, Amy wished she had payed more attention maybe he might not have done this.

_Come..._

Amy jumped and looked around. "What was that!"

Rouge looked at her queerly. "What was what?"

"That voice. Didn't you hear it?" Rouge shook her head, probably thought she was crazy. "Uhh... never mind, it's just my imagination, that's all." Rouge began walking down the deeper path. "Uhh... shouldn't we use the torches?"

Rouge looked back at Amy. "I don't think so, I've got a bad feeling we shouldn't." Sonic and Tails caught up with the two and continued on their search. Tails occasionally stopping to check out some 'specimens'.

Faint sounds of the waterfall could still be heard and the slight drip of water down the cavern walls onto large masses of moss. The area never once touched by sunlight.  
The moss gave off an eerie green glow along with the small bugs and creatures that lives off it.

"EEW!" Amy announced as she once again stood in some mushy moss that had fallen from the roof of the cavern.

"Will you stop complaining, you didn't have to come you know." Rouge tugged her along.

Even though the moss and bugs were giving of light, it was still too dark to see where to go. Sonic had a pair of inferred goggles that he borrowed from Tails, Tails wearing the other pair. Rouge could naturally see in the dark, Amy on the other hand had nothing.

"Why can't I hold Sonics hand?" Amy whined. Rouge groaned did she just come along, because Sonic was going?

Rouge was leading with Amy close behind, Tails after that and Sonic slightly behind Tails.

Rouge stopped at another fork in the path. One seemed to be brighter and going higher,  
The other was darker and going deeper into the Earth.

Amy bumped into Rouge. "Hey! Can't you warn me?" Tails then bumped into Amy causing all of them to fall to the cavern floor. A loud splat indicating a lot of mossy mush.

Sonic picked up Tails by the arm. "Heh heh Sorry..." Tails rubbed the back of his head.  
"I guess I got caught up in all the stuff down here."

Sonic pet Tails head. "Wasn't your fault." Tails giggled a little.

Amy got up, quite relieved she wasn't Rouge who had fell face first into the mush.  
Rouge grumbled and cleaned herself off.

Tails ran a little ahead of them. "Hey, look at this." He crouched down near the wall.

"What is it now? A snake?" Rouge snickered; kind of hoping something would make Tails pay attention to the mission at hand.

Tails frowned. "Fine! Don't see then," He said in a way like 'If you don't see it you'll miss out on something really cool'.

"Okay okay..." Rouge walked down the deeper path where Tails was at the wall. Rouges eyes widened. "Sonic umm... there's blood here..." She looked closer. "Looks old though, probably some stupid traveller who thought they could find treasure here."

Rouge walked back and grabbed Amy's hand. "Well let's go..." They continued.  
Going down the deeper path.

"Can we please use the torches now?" Amy pulled Rouge to a stop, Tails stopping before he knocked into her, again.

"Seriously! I think it's a bad IIIDDDEEEAAA!" The ground beneath them gave way. Amy and Rouge fell but Tails thought instinctively and grabbed Amy's hand, Amy in turn grabbing Rouge. Sonic quickly grabbed hold of Tails before he was pulled down as well.

"Rouge can't you fly up this?" Sonic suggested.

"Sorry! But it's too small a gap!" Some rocks began falling from the roof, making the whole cavern rumble. The rope helping them stay up suddenly snapped, causing Sonic to lose grip.

"AAAAHHHH" They all screamed as they fell down the crevice.

**Cavern Entrance**

Knuckles looked down the cavern entrance. Not a sound echoed loud enough. "You need to help them. They've got more than they can handle."

A faded yellow echidna walked from behind the large plants and trees surrounding the area. Her white sandals going up to her knees swayed as she walked a tribal skirt with green, white and red square patterns swayed with every passing breeze. A simple white top with a golden necklace arrayed with beads and jewels. Her blue eyes kind but full of worry as she walked up to the chaos guardian.

"What do you mean?" He turned to face her.

"There is no curse here... but..." She looked down at the grass, kicking her foot slightly.

"But?" Knuckles wanted a good reason to go into this place.

"I'm not sure how long ago it was but... from what I could see from the master emerald.  
A terrible thing happened here, people who had done nothing wrong were locked up in there... it's possible one may have survived somehow..."

"Then what of the voices?"

"Machinery... It is possible that whoever is down there... can communicate using the energy of Chaos... That is why you heard it."

"Cause I'm always near the Master Emerald?"

"Yes, now please hurry they need you." She looked at him straight in the eyes with a pleading look. 'You can't say no look'

"Alright, alright." He jumped down the cavern entrance.

**Cavern**

"Ugh... Is everyone ok?" Sonic got up from a sloppy pile of mush, luckily not under or on anyone.

"Hey I can see..." Amy sat up, a slight light emanating from a pathway just ahead of her.

"I guess there was a moss build up and it just kept falling down that hole until it finally covered up the hole." Tails looked up the hole. "It's also too narrow to fly back up..."

Rouge sat up, already covered in mud and muck from the previous incident. "I'm really starting to think this place is cursed." She wiped a large amount of moss from her hair.

Sonic looked at the reel of rope on his side. "Hey Rouge you didn't hear anything while we were up there did you?"

Rouge looked at him annoyed. "Sorry, couldn't hear anything over your girlfriend."  
Sonic held up the end of the rope... Rouge walked over to him and grabbed it herself for closer inspection. "It was cut? But how?" The end of the rope had a flat end and was slightly ragged where it had snapped.

The slight sound of bugs buzzing caught Tails attention. He walked into the light path while the others tried to figure out what happened with the rope.

"Hey! Come look at this!" Tails shouted from the other room. Amy went almost instantly.

'Better than being in this darkness.' She thought.

"Could have been a sharp rock?" Sonic suggested and followed Amy. Rouge shook her head but followed anyway.


	2. Evil

**Check the Sonic Games! I don't own anything except The Lost Cavern.**

**Thanks Greenhat, but I bet that is the only mistake you'll ever find...**

Rouge was last to walk into the lighter area. She gasped at the site, to her right a pile of rocks formed to make stairs descending to a floor that seemed to be covered in a thin layer of water. Some of the formation attached to the roof, making pillars going down the stairway. The beautiful bright light were, according to the buzzing sound and obvious things flying around, were of course fireflies.

"There are hundreds maybe thousands!" Tails exclaimed as he ran in the water creating small splashes.

Sonic was carefully walking down the strange stairway but accidentally slipped on some moss and tumbled down, crashing into Amy along the way. A sloppy splash signalling they both hit the floor.

Rouge laughed uncontrollably. _'Finally wasn't me for a change!'_ She flapped her wings and flew down to where Tails was. "What a slippery situation that was." Rouge laughed again while Tails ran over to help them using his tails to keep steady.

Sonic wiped the water and mud from his face before opening his eyes. Finally lifting himself up he shook his head and looked around, his eyes falling upon the soft pink furred hedgehog known as Amy. "AAH!" Sonic squealed and quickly jumped off Amy just as Tails came up to them. "Aheh heh heh Sorry Amy..." pinkish colours making itself apparent on Sonics face.

"Oh Sonic..." Amy held her cheeks, trying to hide the obvious red on her face. A look of happiness spread across her face despite the fact of being wet and covered in moss and mud.

"Umm... Are you two okay?" Tails pulled Amy to her feet, removing the fact that something happened that was very embarrassing.

"Okay! Now Rouge is there any way to tell where we are." Sonic ran over to Rouge, deleting the earlier scene from his mind.

Rouge looked at him queerly; she covered her mouth and resisted the almighty rope tugging in her mind. That in all senses wanted her to laugh. "And I would know... Why?" She ceased any signs of herself going out of control.

Sonics' ears went down, as his brain configured what there was now, no way out.

"Wait a minute..." Tails interrupted. "If there is water leaking into here it must be getting out...or we could find where the water is leaking in but that would be slippery."

The floor slightly rumbled. Everyone sweat dropped as the rumbling got louder until...

**Higher in the Cavern**

Due to the fact that Knuckles didn't have any torches or any gear, at all. He was walking in darkness. Holding the rope that Sonic had attached to his backpack, he trailed it carefully. Making sure not to run into anything, but he still sadly enough had tripped on a few rocks.

"Stupid bunch of..." He finished short as the floor rumbled and shifted. A familiar smell passed by his nose. The rumbled ceased and the smell disappeared.

He began to stand up again but the rumbling sent him to the ground, worse than before. The loud splat of when he crashed into the moss was drowned out by the rumbling.

As the rumbling slowed down, Knuckles lifted his head and looked around. "Okay... I won't get up then." He grumbled a little, but as the rumbling definitely seemed to cease. He got up and continued following the rope, but he kept his hand on the wall...just in case.

**Back**

Amy held onto one of the rock pillars as the rumbling got worse. "I don't know about you! But I want to get out of here!" She shouted over the noise.

As if someone said. 'It possibly can't get any worse.' A large crack started at one wall and split to the other. The loud tearing sound seemed to echo all around. They all screamed as it collapsed and Sonic and Amy fell down into the dark depths. Tails and Rouge flew above.

As the rumbling ceased, Tails pulled a large torch out of his backpack. "Sonic!" He lowered to the large pile of rocks. Searching with his light. "Sonic! Come on! Where are you?"

Rouge lowered to just above the rocks and began moving them. Water trickled onto the rocks, making a mist. That slowly but surely covered most of the area.

"Sonic! Amy!" Tails was close to tears. How could his best friends just die? Just like that?

Rouge was about to try comfort the little fox but something hit her on the back of her head, knocking her out cold. The same fate following the fox.

**Sometime later**

Sonic could slowly feel everything coming back to him. "Ugh" Some pain in his back and legs, his head was throbbing something terrible. And by what he could tell he had blood on his head where it was throbbing and he maybe had gotten smashed in the nose, for it was bleeding. "Someone please tell me I wasn't drinking." He tried to move his arms but failed miserably. Something was holding them down and same with his legs.

"Whoa!" He had chains that were, apparently holding him to a rock wall that was slightly wet. "Amy?" He thought it strange for her to be the first thing that popped into his head. "Amy?" He said a little louder. Upon better inspection it seemed she was chained just to the left of him, Tails on the right and Rouge chained next to Tails.

"Hey! Anyone alive? Say I!" Sonic watched Tails for a reaction but the large bump on his head told him that he wasn't guna be up anytime soon.

"I..." A small whisper was easy to hear over the low pitter patter of water. Sonic looked over to his left, Amy was awake. She had a few bruises but nothing too serious.

"Hey are you ok?" Sonic watched her as she shook her head a little.

"Yeah... I think so, ummm where are we." Amy looked around but the darkness hid beyond the wall. "And why are we chained on a wall."

"Might be Eggman but I don't know." Sonic shook his head. "Or for all we know, Tails may have been right and Shadow is guna kill us all." Sonic chuckled a little but Amy failed to find it amusing.

"If he kills us I'm guna chase you through heaven for the rest of your afterlife." Amy said blankly.

Sonic sighed. "I never get a break..."

"If you did then the world would probably be gone." Sonic turned to his right, Rouge was awake. Looked a little drowsy but nonetheless, she was up. "Hey." She looked at them. "Where's our stuff."

Apparently Rouges, Sonics, Tails and Amys gear was gone.

"There it is." Amy motioned her head to her left, and of course in the corner was their gear.

"Shhhh!" Rouge hushed and Sonic and Amy silenced themselves. Sonic was going to ask but knew what she was talking about when he heard some low whispering. Slowly getting louder, footsteps could also be heard as the clicking of metal on rock echoed around, louder than the water.

"Wait... I know that voice." Sonic whispered to the others.


End file.
